There have been allegations that Tinubu only made himself rich by looting Lagos State treasury. Those with this misconception cared less to find out about his financial status before 1999; they were just living on the assumption that he was once a poor man who suddenly turned rich overnight after ruling Lagos state for eight years.
It takes only the deep to know that TINUBU was an American big boy in the early nineties. He had made his million in foreign currencies before venturing into politics. This is a fact one can easily deduce from the loads of testimonies some well meaning Nigerians had given about him before he even became governor in 1999.
Without Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the movement against dictatorship in Nigeria by NADECO would not have survived. Tinubu was at the forefront of the struggles to return Nigeria to participatory democracy using his knowledge, doggedness and finances where necessary, and the struggles paid off. Nigeria is now in a democracy.
Before you crucify me, these are not my words, they are Wole Soyinka's. In fact, the Professor said more. He emphasized that when the struggle was about to turn awry because of the paucity of funds, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu came to their rescue. He was the one who dug up a way out of the crossroads. He provided the bucks of funds and bailed them out of lack. Wole Soyinka gave that testimony in his speech at the 13th Bola Tinubu Colloquium.
Watch the video here: https://fb.watch/gurhVt6e-t/
But that is not all. Dele Momodu also gave the same testimony in an old video recently circulating online, where he confessed that Bola Tinubu was the only one who gave them money when no one was available to do so at the peak of Sanni Abacha's tyranny that forced them all on exile.
Watch the video here: https://fb.watch/guvHZUGtxt/
But the above are even the tip of the iceberg. The mother of all confessions came from one Adeyemi Ayodele Olusola who gave a details of what he knew about Tinubu's wealth long before he became Lagos state governor in 1999. He wrote:
*Sometimes in 1993 I secured an American visa but I didn't have enough money to buy the ticket, I had only 16k out of the required 40k then. I kept hustling and looking for way out, if I make money, I would spend it again, going from one place to another, meeting different people until I met someone that knows someone that knows someone that just came back from America then.
This man took me to a microfinance bank called "worldgate micro finance bank" somewhere in Victoria Island, guess who owned the bank? Jagaban (1993)the manager of that bank then was Mr Oyetola, yes you guess right, it was this same Gboyega Oyetola, the present osun state governor (his tribal mark were very visible then.
After much persuasion, he borrowed me 24k to augment my 16k to make 40k for the ticket, on the understanding that I will pay back a certain amount in dollars when I get to America.
I got to America in March 1994 and the first place I worked in Washington DC was owned by Tinubu (1994) I won't mention the name here because I don't have his permission to do so, that was where I made money to pay back World gate bank, as in "pay Abu with his own money.
At this time I know at least about 10 of his condos (bungalows) being maintained and managed as real estate business, one of the managers was one Mr Abiodun from Oyo State. Please note that where I was working was different from this real estate o. What they do then was to look for derelict or burnt houses, buy and rebuild it, then sell it at good prices. Another important thing to note is that Washington DC wasn't where his main businesses were domiciled.(so I heard).
Let's back up a little here, remember he contested and won a senatorial seat in 1993? Every paraphernalia used for the campaign was imported from America, from t-shirts to fez caps, to brouch, to lapels even to customized balloons. I know because I saw some remnants when I got there.
An incident occurred sometimes in 1995. Oga directed us to get an admission for one young man, his name was either Tunde or Kunle (not sure) I also don't know if the boy was his son or nephew. We went to one college in Maryland and met the provost who said that he wanted to see proof that the boy's parents could afford his fees.
Right there we called jagaban who was in London then, he asked us to ask him(the provost) whether account details from another country will suffice, to which the man said yes, he then faxed to us one of his account numbers. Friends, the balance was seven digits in pound sterling (1995 fa). He still said we should ask him if that was enough or if he wanted more.
It may surprise you that if I meet with Tinubu today he may probably not recognize me, why? Because I'm just one of the lot, many Nigerians that he didn't even know were on his payroll then.
Most of the NADECO proponents were living off him. Pa Anthony Enahoro of blessed memory was given an apartment in Maryland with monthly stipends and a caregiver to cater for him and the apartment. Some others like Hon. Ipesa Balogun who later became chairman oshodi isolo local government, and Mr Dapo Olorunyomi who was editor of... I think "the News", I think he served as a media Aide to one of the Senate Presidents. (not sure) were also some of his protégé too.
Radio kudirat, which was being managed by Dr Kayode Fayemi was largely financed by jagaban.
Everything I wrote here happened between 1993 and 1996-97, please where was Lagos State treasury then?
These have not included the number of years he used working with giant American companies, Deloitte, and Exxon Mobil where he rose to become Treasurer, among others.
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